Bonfire Night
by Hoprocker
Summary: While away at military school, Kentin celebrates Bonfire Night with his fellow trainees. Yet his heart isn't in it, as he can't stop thinking about the life he led before, and a certain girl he left behind.


_**I wrote this teeny beeny oneshot for a My Candy Love (more technically Sweet Crush) contest for Bonfire Night. It's about Kentin, one of my favorite MCL dudes next to Armin. For the record, I did not win the contest. Probably because this is lacking in the romance factor and is a little bit too angsty. I DID, however, win second place in the illustration contest! That's the cover of the story you see there. Yay!**_

 _ **Anyways, thought I might as well put this up for funsies. See if anyone actually reads it. Enjoy!**_

* * *

It's Bonfire Night.

The November air is crisp and cool, but the giant bonfire before me contains the heat of summer. I close my eyes, letting its warmth enfold me, and listen to the sharp crackle of burning wood. Beyond that, in the forest that surrounds our campground, I can hear soothing crickets and the trill of a screech owl.

My companions from military camp—don't know if I'd call them my friends—are roasting marshmallows in the rowdiest way possible, destroying the peace of the night. After cooking the gooey treats, the older boys decided to mash them into the rookies' hair.

That used to be me, when I first came here. I was a lot different back then. But now I'm stronger. I've earned the boys' respect and they know not to touch me.

I rise to my feet and step away from the bonfire, away from their obnoxious child's play.

"Hey Kentin! Where you off to?" one of my peers calls out to me.

I ignore him, moving away from the light of the campfire and in the direction of the nearby woods.

"Eh, let'im brood," I hear another boy say, before their voices fade behind me.

I step behind a tree and let out a deep sigh, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. It was getting a little bit too hot next to that fire. The cool air feels like a blessing on my skin.

I tilt my head back, spotting the moon through the leafy canopy above me. I used to know all sorts of facts about the moon, the planets…everything. I practically ate knowledge for breakfast. All of it was an effort to impress _her_. Sadly, those useless facts were crushed out of me in training.

 _...I wonder what she would think, if she saw me now?_

I rest a hand on my healthy-sized bicep, which was about as thick as a string of spaghetti a year ago. This is a question that often pops into mind. I try to clear it with an angry shake of my head.

 _Stop asking yourself that! She never cared about you…if she did, she would have called. Texted. Maybe written a letter. Something!_

 _Well, you never exactly tried to keep in touch with HER, now did you?_

 _Whatever. I don't want to think about it._

I'm going back. My comrades may be rambunctious, but they're good distractions. The more time I spend with them, the easier it is to forget about my pathetic life that came before this.

I step out of the woods, aiming to rejoin them. I can see the light of the bonfire in the distance, through the trees. There's something else too. It looks like the boys have finally brought out the sparklers. They'd better be careful or else they could set the whole forest—

I freeze.

There's someone standing up ahead, between me and the bonfire. The glowing flame outlines their silhouette. It's not one of the boys—it's a girl, with a thin figure, and long, flowing hair. My memory fills in the rest of the details: bright, innocent eyes, pink cheeks, a gentle smile…

It's _her._

I'm running before I can stop myself. Sparks from the bonfire flicker around her, making her look more beautiful than ever. Her eyes burn brighter than any flame. I can feel fireworks going off in my chest, leaving me breathless.

 _How did she find me? Will she recognize me? What will I say to her? What if—_

 **CRACK**

Pain lances through my skull and my vision darkens for a moment. The next thing I know, I'm sitting on the ground, head throbbing. My peers are racing over, some faces etched with concern, some bright with laughter.

"Are you okay?!"

"You look like you saw a ghost!"

"Did you really just run into a tree branch?"

With a frustrated growl, I lurch to my feet. The ground tilts under me for a second, but I force myself to stay upright. I think I can feel a lump forming on my forehead. "I'm fine. I just thought I saw a girl, is all."

"A girl? Mate, you're not supposed to run from girls! You should have invited her back to our camp. We could've shown her a good time."

The boys let out a chorus of snickering. My face heats up with embarrassment. I should have lied and said I thought I saw a suspicious character sneaking up on the camp. That would have made me seem like some sort of brave hero, willing to risk life and limb for his buddies—not some pansy who goes sprinting for the hills at the sight of a female. Not that I was running away from her, I was running _towards_ her.

 _Where did she go, anyway?_ I look over my shoulder, but there's no one there.

Thankfully, one of the rookies changes the subject. "I heard these woods are haunted. Maybe Kentin saw a specter!"

The rest of the night is spent on an endless number of ghost stories. At least no one is getting pummeled with marshmallows. Still, I remain deaf to the voices around me, staring into the dying flames of the bonfire.

It must have been a trick of the light. Perhaps that silhouette was just a deformed tree stump. Or a wild animal that took off running when it saw me. She wasn't here. She was never here.

… _But I wish she were._

I lean back into the cool grass, fold my arms under my head, and close my eyes. Memories of our time together drift over me like a warm blanket, different from the stifling heat the bonfire provides. I allow these memories to whirl through my mind, as I slowly drift off into a comfortable sleep.

And for once, I don't chase them away.


End file.
